After the Filipino community’s campaign to keep him in the United States, dental assistant Jose Isabelo Librojo was granted a stay of deportation last Saturday, when he was about to be sent back to the Philippines for allegedly being an illegal immigrant. Librojo, 31 was already at the San Francisco International Airport when he received the news, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) said in a news release on Monday (US time). “Finally, while at the airport ready to check in for his flight to the Philippines, [Librojo] was notified at the very last moment that he would be allowed to stay in the US," NAFCON said. “I’d like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart," Librojo was quoted as saying. Filipinos in the US lobbied to stop the deportation through an online petition, which has received more than 8, 400 signatures. The target number of signatures was raised to 10,000 from only half of it two weeks ago. The petition was addressed to US officials and legislators, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director John Morton. NAFCON said Feinstein and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois eventually wrote letters of support for Librojo. The letters were reportedly sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Aside from the petition, Librojo’s supporters also laid out a series of activities to urge Feinstein to back up the Filipino’s claim:
a phone campaign to the senator’s office last Nov. 4; a press conference sponsored by NAFCON on Nov. 8; and a candlelight vigil in front of Feinstein’s San Francisco Field Office on Nov. 9. In a video message posted on YouTube last Friday, Librojo called on his supporters to join him at the airport, where he was meeting with his immigration officer. “I’m [at] risk of being detained tomorrow, so please I’m humbly asking that you support by signing [the online] petition and hopefully show up at the airport tomorrow," he said in the video. 'Bag and baggage letter' Librojo works as a full-time registered dental assistant and dental laboratory x-ray technician through an employment authorization card issued every year. The 31-year-old moved to the US with his family when they were granted political asylum in 1995. The asylum visa was no longer renewed after its expiration in 2005, which triggered deportation notice. Librojo’s parents chose to leave voluntarily, while his sister moved to Canada. Meanwhile, Librojo “has been approved for an I-140 immigrant visa, which will allow him to adjust his status and become a permanent resident [or] green card holder." But he “received a bag and baggage letter" from the DHS in June, saying he was to leave the US on Aug. 2. A few days before that, Morton released a memorandum—dated June 17—providing a set of guidelines on how to deal with what the Obama administration called “low-priority deportations." The new policy “allows DHS to review deportations on a case-by-case basis," giving leeway to young immigrants who do not have any criminal record and those that do not pose risk to national security. “I’m not a criminal, and I shouldn’t be deported because I’ve been here [for] more than 16 years of my life," Librojo said in a video message. “I’m authorized to work and I’m a tax-paying citizen and I should be low-priority for deportation." - KBK, GMA News 
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